The premiers each got a call. So did the mayors of Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto. As did the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
But beyond brief courtesy calls following the election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has so far not reached out to the opposition leaders, who together hold his political future in their hands, for substantive discussions about the path ahead.
That’s prompting public questions and private grumbles about the Liberals’ early approach to dealing with a minority parliament.
When they won just 157 seats in the Oct. 21 vote, the Liberals fell short of the 170 seats needed for a majority government. That means they will need the support of opposition MPs to move forward on their legislative agenda.
Andrew Scheer has not heard from Trudeau either, said one Conservative Party official, who called the lack of outreach “strange.”
The source said that Conservative MPs from Western Canada could provide “advice and counsel” on dealing with what he branded a “growing national unity crisis,” a reference to the discontent in Alberta and Saskatchewan that saw the Liberals wiped out in both provinces.
That sentiment was driven home in Facebook video posted by Conservative MP Michelle Rempel.
The MP for Calgary-Nosehill, said the prime minister should reach across the House to the opposition benches, where Conservatives like her were elected to represent the people of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
“We’re in a minority situation, and I get that he’s going to be trying to build bridges — the easier bridges — with the NDP and the Bloc, who are anti-energy sector,” Rempel said.
“You’re going to have to work with us if you want to ensure that our country stays together.”
A spokesperson for Trudeau confirmed that there have been no followup phone calls with any of the opposition leaders, including Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet.